Chapter Text
In hindsight, Vernon should have seen this conversation coming and shouldn’t have been surprised at Mingyu’s accusation.
“So, what do you and Seungkwan usually do when it’s just the two of you?” Mingyu suddenly asks as he turns around to face Vernon as they wait for their next teacher to arrive.
“What?” Vernon replied, a bit surprised at the other’s question.
“I mean when the two of you go out together,” Mingyu explained. “What do you usually do.”
“Oh, we don’t really go out actually,” Vernon replied casually. “We mostly just stay at each other’s place and just watch Netflix.”
“So you Netflix and chill?” Mingyu smirked while raising his eyebrows in a suggestive way making Vernon cringe.
“What? Don’t be disgusting,” Vernon said as he lightly punched the other on the arm. “We just don’t want to spend money but still wanna watch movies so we basically have sleepovers besides, Seungkwan loves the grilled cheese sandwiches my mom makes.”
(That and because Vernon’s mom just adores Seungkwan, sometimes Vernon thinks he’s the neighbor’s kid and Seungkwan is her son. There was one-time Vernon told this to his mom and his mom just smiled that knowing smile of hers when she sees through his lies and tells him that “I’m pretty sure he’s going to be my son in the future.”
When Vernon asks Mrs. Boo if their giving up Seungkwan for adoption the kind woman just laughs and pats Vernon’s cheek as if he told a joke and says “For future reference, you’re going to be my son too.”
Vernon figures it’s an inside joke their mothers share.)
“Why are you asking me anyways?” Vernon asks the elder genuinely curious.
“Me and Wonwoo are going out on a date this weekend,” Mingyu started. “And I figured we’d do something else besides eating and laughing at people who walk by.”
“I still don’t understand why you would go to me for advice.”
“Well I figured I’d ask either you or Seungkwan, since you guys have been dating for so long,” Mingyu said as if it was the most obvious thing. “So, I thought you’d have plenty of -”
“What?” Vernon cut him off eyes wide and cheeks blushing at Mingyu’s statement. “We’re not dating.”
Mingyu just gives him a ‘who are you fooling’ look.
“Mingyu we’re not-”
Vernon was then cut off from further explaining as their teacher came in their classroom asking them to grab their textbooks and open to the last chapter they discussed, their teacher droned on and on about the lesson for that day making thoughts of his previous conversation with the boy in front of him disappear from his thoughts.
-
It was at the end of the school day and Vernon was waiting outside Seungkwan’s classroom for his best friend when a batchmate of theirs started talking to him.
“You waiting for your girlfriend too?” the other guy started making small talk obviously bored at waiting for someone, Vernon cannot remember his name but he’s sure he’s from the class between his and Seungkwan’s.
“I’m actually waiting for Seungkwan,” Vernon replied just to be polite.
“Oh sorry,” the boy looked apologetic. “You’re waiting for your boyfriend then.”
“What? No, he’s-”
Vernon got cut off the second time today but this time due to his best friend.
“Ready to go?” Seungkwan asks with a smile.
“Yeah, I just need to…” when Vernon turns to face the other boy again, he was already walking away with his girlfriend by his side.
“Need to what?”
“Nothing,” Vernon shook his head as they started walking towards the school’s exit. “It was probably just a misunderstanding anyway.”
"What misunderstanding?" Seungkwan asked with concern. "My Vernonie better not be getting into petty fights."
"I'm not mom," Vernon grinned at Seungkwan's annoyingly cute baby talk. "Some guy just thought I was waiting for a girlfriend when I was waiting for you."
"What?" Seungkwan laughed. "Well obviously you were waiting for someone more important than a girlfriend."
Vernon just had to smile at that because where is the lie though? If ever one day he gets a girlfriend (but that seems so far away since he has no intention of getting one anytime soon) he figures he'd still be spending more time with Seungkwan and his friends than her.
God he would make such a terrible boyfriend.
At least he would be a great best friend.
-
“Your boyfriend is coming over for dinner,” Sofia says as she peeks into Vernon’s room.
“My what?” Vernon replied a bit shocked at his sister’s statement.
"Seungkwan-oppa, your boyfriend, is coming over for dinner," Sofia said as if it was the most obvious thing. "Apparently aunty and uncle suddenly have a party to attend for their company and his noonas are back at Jeju remember"
"He's not my boyfriend," Vernon whined. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Sofia looked at him like he was the biggest idiot ever and was just tired of the nonsense he keeps saying making him shut up.
"He wakes you up in the morning then you go to school together, you wait for him to go home together, you have sleepovers, you take turns paying for your meals when you two go out and just last week you bought him that pink sweater cause you he would look cute in them," Sofia listed while counting off with her fingers. "And then he goes and buy you the light blue version of it as a thank you? You two basically got couple sweaters."
"Oh my god," Vernon said as it all dawned on him and he blushed. "We are practically boyfriends. Does everyone think this?"
"Maybe," Sofia shrugged.
"What do I do?"
"Why should you do anything?" Sofia says as she sits beside him on his bed. "The two of you are obviously comfortable with your dynamics so why do anything?"
"But won't it make Seungkwan feel, I don't know, weird?" Vernon says. "What if he stops hanging out with me when he figures people have been looking at us like that?"
At hearing about her brother's concern Sofia laughed making Vernon push her resulting in her lying down as she controlled her laughter "That's what got you concerned? Are you sure you aren't dating? Cause you're not convincing me."
"We're not, okay," Vernon said trying to sound convincing.
"But your first concern was losing him," Sofia smiled while sitting up. "You two may not be dating, but do you want to?"
"Just because he's my best friend doesn't mean I want to date him," Vernon answered.
"Are you sure?" Sofia asked with a small reassuring smile knowing that her brother needed little clues to figure things out sometimes (also because she is so sick of him not realizing the huge obvious crush he has on their neighbor) "You know, I see the way you look at him sometimes."
"Look at him?"
"Like he's the greatest thing ever," Sofia explained, God her brother could be dense. "Especially when he sings, like I become awestruck but you just look love struck."
"His voice is beautifully amazing," Vernon praised. "How can anyone not just stare."
"Everyone does stare," Sofia laughed, her brother was so gone for his best friend and he doesn't even realize it. "You just stare at him differently, so now I'm asking you again, are you sure you don't want to date him?"
Vernon looked at his sister unsurely as he went through his head about the things she just said, how waking up was better when Seungkwan would knock on his window with that broom of his instead of his alarm clock, how his first instinct after school was to fetch Seungkwan, how simple things just reminded him of the Jeju boy and how he feels every time he hears the other sing.
"Oh shit," Vernon whispered as he felt his cheeks heat up to form a light blush, was he really this dense? Or was Sofia just getting to him?
"Look if what I just said bothers you then-"
"No no," Vernon cut her off. "It's just, I don't really know what to answer."
"Well maybe you can get answers tonight," Sofia suggested with a reassuring smile. "Cause I think I just heard Seungkwan-oppa come in and our mother is gushing over him."
Vernon just nodded as he followed his sister out his room as he wondered what answers he'll get tonight.